Hello Nexians. Long time, no speak.

First off, the site is looking lovely and healthy. Lots of new things to play with and new projects that are thriving. Big smiles all round

Now then...to the present issue. Recently I have been flirting with the idea of oneirogens to help with my continued study of awareness in the intermediate states...namely lucid dreaming. As a kind of happy accident, I have noticed my dreaming becoming much more vivid and interesting after a night of indulging with absinthe.

I prepared the absinthe in the parisienne style. That is to say, with cold water (3 parts to 1) and a little white granulated sugar (no fire, that's bohemian style).

I am just wondering what it could be in the absinthe that is causing these vivid dreams. Seeing as it is quite probably a delicious herb, I could probably use more of it in cooking.

Any thoughts?

Careful with thujone, it is said to be toxic and build up in the body.
I would use thujone containing plants sparingly. White sage (salvia apiana) is an abundant source.

Chinook, simcoe, and cascade hops I have found to be really oneirogenic and without the toxicity.

Thankyou for the heads up on thujone House. I will look further into the others. Could there be anything besides the thujone in absinthe working as an oneirogen?

Well from what I have gathered the thujone somehow allows the drinker to metabolize more alcohol than normal or something to that effect. Meaning, instead of passing out and vomiting everywhere, the drinker would still be able to remain lucid further into a drunken state than they normally could without it. It's a weird synergy. I tested this with being way too drunk and smoking a lot of white sage and it seemed to do the same thing. The alcohol definitely plays a role in the oneirgenic effects.

Right. So having a couple of absinthe parisiennes and a couple of ales of a Friday night then i'm on the right track?

Thujone and alcohol both effect gaba but each one is like the reverse of the other..that is a sort of simplified explaination but it workds. If you take too much thujone it increases neuro activity so much so that it can cause a seizure, whereas alchol effects gaba in the reverse way so that it one can OD from the depressant effects..when taken together the thujone counteracts the depressant effects of the alcohol and the alcohol counteracts the upper effects of the thujone so more thujone can be taken without having seizures etc.

IMO it is probably that one is just able to take so much thujone so that they can hallucinate etc..as I have been collecting artemisia species for a few years and occasionally brewing a tea without alcohol and still have weird stimulating effects that give me intense dreams at night. Maybe the alcohol just sort of smashes them so much so that they are like in a weird drunken dissociation but still awake enough to expereince the wormwood higher dose hallucinations.